Do One Thing

So it's the beginning of Lent, and so many people are talking about what they're giving up.  Yes, I am doing the usual of giving up take out lunch, forcing myself to make one or starve, but I'm also giving up baking.  While some of you might not think that is really something to give up, I assure you, it is.

A big something.

But at work today I also started to think about life (as usual) and how I'd really like to inch towards my dream just a little bit more each day and I thought of something.  Do One Thing... D.O.T.

Do one thing each and every day of Lent that is just for you.  I had thought about the whole 29 gifts thing and maybe doing something for others each day, but the majority of us are so self-deprived of anything we want I quickly dismissed that idea.  We give and give and give so much of ourselves to everyone around us, and rarely have the time or energy to do anything for our own benefit.

When was the last time you stopped everything so you could work out?  Or read a good book?  Or make a new playlist?

You get my drift.

Every inch of our time is divided between our kids, our spouses, and our work.  It's no wonder we're exhausted!  When we do have time, all we really have the energy for, mental or physical, is mindless TV.  Do we really need to watch the Bachelor pick Courtney every freaking week?  That's two hours every Monday I'm never getting back!

I am learning lately that life is too short and there are no guarantees.  No free passes.  You either live your life or you don't.  You're either happy or you're going through the motions.  I just want to stop settling and start creating the life I want.  So do one thing is about taking a little time that doesn't involve watching TV.  You know there is something you want to do and you just haven't.  Now is the time, and I'm hoping that by the time Lent is over, we'll be so used to it and happy we'll never stop.

As the skaters would say, make it happen.

And we all know that ones we hate always make it to the final rose ceremony, so save yourself for the next two Mondays and make them Courtney-free.  You'll be much happier :)

Read This!

Okay, I'm not a book critic by any means.  In fact I could never be one because I never take the time to finish a book I don't love.

LTS # 10:  Life's too short to read a bad book.

So, when I get a book that I can't put down, I literally want to tell everyone about it so they can get that same feeling I have right now.  I know that everyone doesn't always have the same reaction as I do, but for the most part, the books I love are the ones that will make you think about your own life.

So my latest Read This book is What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, an Australian author that I've read before.  One thing you'll get with her books is a quirky mix plot lines, characters, and problems.  Sometimes it's choppy, but the end, I get it.  I understand why she writes and edits the way she does.  It's all for the reader's experience of the story, and reads somewhat like a movie.

The gist of the story line is about a 39 year-old woman who hits her head during a spinning class.  When she comes to, she cannot remember the last ten years of her life.  She believes she is 29 and pregnant with her first child.  Needless to say, a lot can happen in ten years, and she is shocked to find out what kind of person she has turned out to be.  Her marriage is failing, her friends are vicious, and her kids can't seem to stand her.

To get any more you'll have to read the book.  What I found myself doing though is looking back ten years ago in my own life and seeing how I was different, and ultimately how different our marriage was.  There are so many factors that go into a marriage that change who used to be.

Kids
Money or lack thereof
Work
Family
Friends
Death
Dreams

All of it is one thing at the beginning of a marriage and completely different ten years later.  To weather the storms of life you must be able to continue seeing the good in everyone around you.  To just see what's wrong is misery for everyone involved.

I hope you read this book.  I know it'll change the way you see your own life.

Have a fabulous week!

one for the money

 So my favorite series of ALL TIME, has broke into the movie industry.  Now, I had boycotted this movie because the characters I had seen in the previews didn't fit what I had grown to know and love in my head.  I mean after 18 books, I think my mental image is pretty set.  So, when my husband and I both had the day off today (stop laughing) we decided to go to the movies. 

Wouldn't you know it, there is nothing out right now.  Of course, we still went because by now we were both dreaming of a popcorn lunch, and of course, I dragged him to One For The Money.  I don't think he suffered too much since Katherine Heigle  is his movie crush, and honestly I really don't blame him.  I think I might have a crush on her :)

But, I really wish they would stop trying to make movies out of really popular books.  It just doesn't work, and I'm tired of wasting money trying to relive the feeling I had in the book.  Popcorn is good, but not that good.   

Here are my reasons why they should stop profiting off the books:

1.  There is no-how, no-way, you will ever capture the detail (the sounds, the smells, the viewpoint) that a book can deliver.  A movie is simply an imitation, like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  It's just not the same.

2.  When you take a book as popular as this one, you have to know millions of people have read them, adored them, and mentally pictured these characters for years.  Dying Katherine's hair brown and giving her an accent will not make her Stephanie Plum.  Ever.  And then there's Edward and Bella.  They really should've just let a good book be a good book in that case.

3.  In some movies, the characters are better than we imagined (think of any Nicholas Sparks movie), but then they'll do something like change the ending.  Why would you do that?  Don't change the book because you think it'll be a better movie ending.  It won't.

Now, don't get me wrong.  Not all movies from books are bad.  I adore the Harry Potter movies, including the characters.  I'm not sure how they did it, but the casting director for the first movie was spot on with each of them.  Perfection.  A Field of Dreams was also a book, although I never read that.  Maybe if I did I wouldn't like the movie so much.  

Charlie St. Cloud

The Notebook

Eat, Pray, Love (I know this one is debatable, but I'll stand by it).  

See?  Not all of them are sinkers, but for the most part, I am becoming a bit skeptical in the whole book to movie genre.  

What about you?  Are there any you particularly love or hate?

Enjoy your evening :)

Sacrifice

 Set your timer:  For the next 15 minutes create 2 characters:  one who enjoys her life and one who doesn't; one who pursues goals and one who doesn't.  Seat them at a dinner party and let them have a conversation.
As I sat at the table clutching my name card, I realized that I was holding my breath.  Bruno Mars was singing in the background, and there were flowers and candles everywhere.  In the last two weeks, since I had won this ticket, I had imagined a thousand different scenarios, but those weren't even close.  "Honey, somewhere along the path you stopped dreaming," my friend Jenny told me last week when I was complaining about coming here alone.  "Just go and take it all in," she had said.  Easy for her to say.
"You must be Bethany," she said, sitting down next to me.  I blinked, twice, as I sat there staring at Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.  She was even prettier in person.
"Um, yes," I said, straightening out my name card and setting on the table.  "I won this ticket a few weeks ago."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," she said as if she meant it.  "Are you a writer?"
"It's always been a dream of mine, but no, at this point, I can't say that I am."  I wondered if I sounded as pathetic as I felt.  "I've read your book twice, and just haven't sat down to figure out what I have to say."
She laughed, "But that's the whole point of the book!  You only have to find fifteen minutes to say something, anything."  She looked around to make sure no one was listening to us.  "If I'm going to be honest, I'm one of those people who procrastinates till the last minute, but once I get started I find it's much easier.  That first step is a doozie."
I relaxed a bit in her honesty.  She was just a regular person.  "But what if I find out that what I have to say isn't anything special.  This way, by not committing to anything, I can hold onto my dream."
She was shaking her head and smiling, "But what's the point in dreaming if you're not going to do anything about it?  Following our dreams is what life is about, otherwise you're just wasting time being untrue to yourself."  She took a drink of her wine, " Is that what you want for yourself?"
"No," I said.  "But it's not that easy.  I don't have anywhere to start."  I knew these were all excuses, but this conversation wasn't going as I had planned, and I wasn't prepared to hear these cold, hard facts.
"You just said you've read my book twice!  You do realize those exercises were specifically for writers like you, who are confused on where to start and need to find their voice."
I knew what she was saying made sense, but a part of me wanted to just hide at this point.  She watched me carefully.
"I'll make you a deal," she said.  "I'm starting a new workshop next month, and I want to personally invite you to join.  If after that you still can't find the time to write, then you'll find a new dream.  A writer without a project is like a salesman without a product.  It's just not going to work."
I nodded, knowing what she said was perfectly true.  "Okay, I'll do it," I said.  I took a sip of my own wine and smiled.  I was going to do a Writer's Workshop!
She patted my hand, "Like I said, that first step is a doozie, but the results will be so worth it.  I promise."
As if on cue, a speaker at the front of the room asked everyone to sit down at their tables so we could begin dinner.  "If you'll excuse me, I'm expected to speak before dinner is served," she said, squeezing my hand before getting up.
She stood at the podium, and winked at me before she started.  She proceeded to speak with clarity about the joy and torture of following your dreams every day of your life.  It's as if she had planned to the speech specifically for me, and half-way through I started to believe it was possible.
At least I knew that it was going to be worth trying.  And if I failed, I would have the ability to keep trying till I found something that worked for me.
So, thank you Barbara.  This book is a treasure, and even though this meeting only happened in my head, I still believe you have changed my life through your words.
Now it's my turn.

Believe

 Yesterday was one of those days that literally changes the course of your life.  You wake up with the same problems, the same gripes and complaints, and then you are given news that flips it all upside down.

When you hear of someone with cancer you immediately think the worst and wonder how they will handle it.   A lot of people cling to the word hope at times like this, but I don't like that word.  It implies that something like faith has been lost, and I think this is the time when most people cling to their faith.  It's as if we almost forget about it till times of need.

I don't want to hope for a better future, a better outcome, a life saved.  I want to believe in it as if it were already true.  I think that's what faith is for... a belief that everything is as it should be.  Even if it sucks.  

 There has to be a reason for things like this, but it's not ours to understand.  I think that at then end of it all, we will have that understanding, but for now we just need to have faith an believe.  

Mentors

 Start your timers:  For the next 15 minutes write about the people who help you write, remind you of why you write, and inspire you to write.  
"Few things are as valuable in life as being able to rely on a person you trust who cares deeply about your writing, your career, and you."  This is a quote straight out of the Pen On Fire, and I find this chapter and this exercise not only at a time when I need it most, but also when it, she was staring me in the face this morning. 
Mentors come in all shapes and sizes, with writing backgrounds, but not necessarily.  My mentor, my friend, looked me in the eye this morning and asked me why I had stopped writing.  I had been waiting for that question, but didn't feel the need to do anything about it till she looked me in the eye to ask me.  
My answer?  Well, I seem to have the biggest case of writer's block I've ever had.  I simply don't start writing at home because I'm constantly interrupted (I've let Goldie out, turned off the tv, and took a phone call since I started this).  People in this house don't seem to care at all if I'm in the middle of something.  All the more reason to interrupt just for the sheer fun of it.  
Drives.  Me.  Crazy.  So I give up.  But the problem with that is, I really, really love writing to y'all.  
I love that in solving my own problem, I might help you with yours.  Or at the very least, you might be nodding in understanding that we are all in this together.  Our problems might not be the same, but we might be feeling the same way, and that, my friend, is why I write.  
I have always just wanted to help people feel better, and I want to do that through my writing.  

I know it's a gift, and I have made a promise to myself this year to finish what I start.  I don't intend on giving up on writing just yet, and I know that "writer's block" is just a bump in the road.  You can either stop, afraid to get on the other side of it, or simply run over it.  It's not always pretty, but the other side is so much better than sitting there.

So bear with me while I fumble through the next few posts.  Eventually I'll get my groove back and you'll wonder why I ever stopped.  

Thank you, Mentor :)

Friday Reads is back!

This is where I claim that life is officially starting to get back to normal.  Reading and looking for new books is back in full swing, and I am happily excited to be writing again.

First of all, I am going to hold myself to my goal for 2012 this year of finishing what I start.  It's no surprise to any of you that I like to skip around with books, projects, and writing.  When the going gets tough, I usually change my mind, so I thought I'd give myself a little dose of tough love, and hold myself accountable for whatever I started.  Books included.

So, our book club choice for this month is Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult, and I am not a fan.  Nope.  I am halfway through it and literally don't want to pick it up again.  It's not that I have anything against the subject matter, but I really don't want to read about it.  If you read it you'll understand.  But, I am a fan of Jodi's and will try to keep an open mind to finish this book.  Who knows, maybe I'll finish by the New Year!

Now, because I like to plan ahead (and buy books), I've already picked out my next book when I'm done with this one.  I opted for a no-brainer, never fail, always end up crying choice, and went with Nicholas Sparks new one, The Best of Me.  I literally can't wait to dive into this one since I'm suffering in book hell right now.  I am looking forward to snuggling all day on Sunday with this one.

I wish for all of you to have a very happy and healthy 2012.  I cannot thank you enough for continuing to read my blog, and I hope to keep inspiring you to love your life.... and books.

Happy New Year!